I've been doing non stop research on these aftermarket warranty companies.
I will be purchasing a 2010 6MT E90 next week, and want to get an aftermarket contract.

It looks like I can get into a 5 year, 100k additional miles for around $3,000. This covers everything except for clutch, maintenance, and brake pads. I've got two companies on my radar which is wanted, and delta auto protect who talk an extremely good game, answer all my questions, and seem like legit businesses. Disturbed on here swears by Colin at wanted.

But, that's all well and good if they have good CS up front, but if they can't pay out, the contract is worth absolutely nothing.

Has anyone actually had a successful time getting the warranty companies to pay up when the bill is due?

I see some positive reviews, but it's all about how good the purchase was. I see many negative reviews, but what I don't see, is actual REAL reviews outside of consumer affairs and bbb. I do like that wanted responds to some negative reviews.

Let me know your thoughts.

EDIT: for those of you who HAVE, let me hear the company you went with, as well as your mileage/year coverage. I'd like o call and get quotes from successful companies.

You might try looking up your state's office of the Insurance Commissioner, or similar. I know here in WA, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner oversees the insurance industry and protects consumers. Consumers can file complaints against insurers and agents, the OIC handles licensing (I believe) and it has a list of all insurers licensed to do business in WA, complaints filed against them, etc. Worth a shot as part of your diligence.

I have an aftermarket warranty and the blower motor+wiring had to be replaced a few months ago. Roughly a $700 repair. It showed in the paperwork that it was covered and my shop took care of the claim for me. They called it in and got the approval without much fuss and I paid my $100 deductible.

From what my shop tells me, repairs under $1k tend to be easy to push through, but once it starts getting higher, they may send out an agent to validate the needed repair. Sometimes if you can get your shop to file it on your behalf, it may be easier if they already have a working relationship with that warranty company. My shop also said they wouldn't start any work until they got the green light from the warranty company so I wouldn't be stuck in the situation of being stuck with a bill and a rejected claim.

I think mine is called ServiceGuard+ and its whatever their highest coverage is, which covers even stuff like the Nav unit and electronics.

I have fidelity as well, so it's nice to hear they handled your claim smoothly. Did you have the work done at a dealer or indy shop?

I had the work done at the dealer, since the Indy shops around here had never done a throttle actuator, let alone really worked on an e9X M3.
They sent an adjuster out due to the cost of the claim, but it was approved on the spot after that. $2900 worth or parts and labor only ran me $100.

I have yet to use the warranty company on my e92, but a few years ago my e46 had some a/c issues, so the dealer suggested to do an overhaul of the AC system, and with the help of the service rep, the warranty company was able to send out an adjuster to inspect the condition, which later approved the repair. I paid $100 deductible for a $3000 repair. I have also used it on the starter. The warranty company's name was Motorist Assist Plan.

OP what is the mileage of the car you are looking at to purchase? Any car over 25k miles the price for an extended warranty contract increases significantly. Know this for a fact when it comes to Fidelity.

The most important thing is the actual company who is covering the policy. For example Fidelity is one of the top extended warranty companies along with Easycare and Zurich. Although I haven't dealt with the latter of the two (heard wonderful things about them though) I have dealt with Fidelity and they've been great.

First thing is first make sure whatever policy you get it is an exclusionary policy that way you can see WHAT things are NOT covered.

I would reach out to agents who sell Fidelity, EasyCare, and Zurich and go from there. The two companies you linked I have never heard of. Make sure to find the real Fidelity Warranty Services they're based out of Deerfield Beach. Lot of other companies have Fidelity in their name because the of high reputation.

I have worked at my local bimmer dealer for the past couple of years and I have seen all kinds of policies. Probably the worst one I've seen is Warranty Direct. They don't cover sh!t.

The good companies usually charge a lot up front for their polices but if you expect a lot of claims with your car it will pay off. My father's S65 AMG has had $20k+ worth of claims and Fidelity has covered it.

Another thing.. Inspectors will be sent out a majority of the time if the claim amount is large. Every company has a different price threshold when they require one to be sent.

This is how I make a living. I'm a finance manager at a Cadillac dealership.

There are two types of warranties: named components & exclusionary

An exclusionary is pretty self-explanitory. It's basically a bumper to bumper. It's really the way both these types of contracts are named that says it all.

A named components warranty is one to avoid IMO. These are the ones that give you a huge long list of over 100 parts or so that are covered, thus making it look like a ton of coverage is available under your plan. However - it is just the opposite. The ONLY things covered are EXACTLY what is named on this list. There are far more components in any vehicle to all of it's systems than what would be named on one of those lists.

An exclusionary is a comprehensive service contract in which the list (if any) or parts is one that EXCLUDES whatever is on that list. If it isn't listed there - it will be covered.

For example - the GMPP which is one of the best in the industry (unfortunately not available on M cars of our generation or I'd write one for myself), has a list of what is covered, but it just shows every single part of every system in the vehicle minus normal wear and tear. Brake pads and like items are covered IF and ONLY IF they are failed by a covered part's failure (eg: a caliper, which is covered - sticks and destroys a pad/rotor). The GMPP even goes so far as to cover "wear" like a window motor slowly creeping down, as it is not functioning how it was designed to.

Deductibles: These are particularly important. If you're ever at a dealer and they just tell you about that great warranty and your monthly payment increase rather than the sales price (always happens) - make sure you ask what the deductible is and if there are any lower options, should it not suit your needs. Your price will change accordingly, but don't let them hit you for another 2k for a $0 or $50 deductible from a $200 one. That isn't reasonable at all. This goes for purchasing an aftermarket warranty at any of the above mentioned places as well.

IMO, Route 66 has pretty good warranties. I hear nothing but good things about them and I'm grabbing a powertrain one on my 2008 that I still have to put a loan through once I get it to pass inspection. This warranty will prevent the issues I'm going through out of pocket.

A couple of other things to know:

-A lot of these companies ask that you have a used vehicle check done at a preferred shop to ensure that you don't have pre-existing issues. FIX THEM if there are any or pray that you know somebody there because it can make a future occurrence difficult to cover under your plan.

-Some dealers use companies like First Extended or Portfolio. BY VERY WARY OR THESE. There are others out there as well. These companies are self-insured meaning the dealer buys into them and has some say in what is and isn't covered. If the dealer has been known forever for their customer service, this can be a good thing. If they are not good on that end (a lot of "one price" dealers are this way), then avoid these like the plague.

-A LOT of extended service contracts are available for a pro-rata refund. Some are only upon totalling the vehicle, but others (like the GMPP for example) are available for refund if you get rid of the vehicle for a new one. Some dealers will tell you that when you're selling a vehicle as a return customer, you get a credit for a new warranty. THIS LIKELY MEANS THAT YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A REFUND FOR SOME OF IT. I think they are a good idea as long as you get the right thing, but don't let them force you into another one. You do have the option to cancel as well.

I know I'm an F&I manager and this is how I make my money, but the best sales person can close anyone honestly if they are good at it. I make more money than half of the con-artists I know just by knowing how to talk and gauge a customer. I've been in automotive sales and marketing, a technician, and parts sales since I started working 7 years ago. It doesn't take a genius to sell the stuff, but it takes a genius to buy it with all of the garbage out there.

Believe me - this isn't me trying to sell my product. I can't even write a warranty for any of you. We all have M cars. I'm trying to help you out though.

I can look further into these ones if anybody has specific questions on them, but I haven't even been able to click on the links yet as I'm at work and about to be off of lunch.